Permits the commissioner of motor vehicles to waive or accept electronic transfer of salvage documents

BILL NUMBER:S6723

Title of bill

An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to allowing the commissioner of motor vehicles to waive or accept electronic transfer of salvage documents

Purpose of the bill

To streamline the reporting of information related to junk and salvage vehicles.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill would amend Vehicle and Traffic Law ("VTL") § 429, subdivision 4 to permit the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles ("Commissioner") to waive by regulation, the delivery of documents related to junk and salvage vehicles or, in the alternative, to allow such requirements to be satisfied by the electronic filing of the necessary information.

Section 2 of the bill provides the effective date.

Existing law

Currently, the VTL does not provide for a waiver for the use of documents, or the electronic filing of such documents, related to junk and salvage vehicles. Federal law already mandates the filing of such information with a national database.

Prior legislative history

This proposal, in another form, was incorporated as section 3 of A.7604 and S.4609 of 2011. The other sections of that legislation do not appear in this bill.

Statement in support

Pursuant to VTL and Department of Motor Vehicle ("DMV") regulations, vehicle savagers and dismantlers must submit a written statement to the Commissioner documenting the acquisition of a vehicle that has been disposed of as junk or for salvage. Salvagers and dismantlers must also submit the certificate of title or any other ownership documentation. The information provided pursuant to this section has never been provided to DMV through county clerks as agents for DMV. Under federal regulations, salvagers and dismantlers are required to report almost identical vehicle acquisition data to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System ("NMVTIS"), the national

information system established by the United States Department of Transportation to verify a vehicle's provenance before the issuance of title by a particular state.

To streamline this process and eliminate duplication while ensuring that relevant information is readily available to DMV and NMVTIS, this bill would eliminate through regulation, the junk and salvage vehicle acquisition reporting requirements in the VTL. DMV will acquire the same information electronically from other sources including the NMVTIS administrator which is available to DMV in a timelier manner.

Budget implications

There would be a small amount of savings by DMV by not having to process and store paper documents.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.